HOUSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Brian Krause, who began his hands-on well control career as a 19-year-old apprentice to famed American oil well firefighter Red Adair, rose to Vice President in Adair’s company, and later led the firefighting team that controlled six sabotaged wells at the start of the Gulf War, has joined J.H. Blades & Co., Inc.. Most recently Krause spent six years as Vice President of Travelers Oil and Gas. J.H. Blades & Co., Inc. is a division of Swett & Crawford, part of the world’s largest global wholesale brokerage and reinsurance organization.
Krause spent nearly three decades on active assignment throughout the world controlling blowouts. Following Adair’s retirement in 1993, Krause and other former Adair colleagues went on to form their own company, IWC/Boots & Coots. Krause was President and Senior Well Control Specialist of IWC / Boots & Coots from its 1995 start until 2003.
In addition to the assignment in Iraq, other highlights of his well control career include:
- In Hungary, he served on the team that capped the world’s largest thermal blowout.
- In the North Sea, he assisted in controlling the multi-well Piper Alpha disaster in which 168 lives were lost, killing 36 wells, a third of which were burning.
- In Kuwait, he was Red Adair’s project manager for controlling 123 burning wells.
- He capped and controlled a major blowout in a single day at a location two miles from Midland International Airport.
His transition from fighting the fires to mitigating their impact from the insurance side was a natural one. “Seeing first-hand while battling blowouts in every corner of the world exactly what ‘a perfect storm’ of circumstances causes them,” Krause explains, “gave me valuable insight in how to prevent them.”
Richard Martin, who heads J.H. Blades and is the Practice Group Leader of Swett’s Energy Group, asserts that Krause brings an extraordinary skill set to the Blades well control broker team. “Brian’s front line experience and impeccable credentials deliver expertise to our clients that greatly enhances their ability to minimize the risks that are inherent in their businesses. We are delighted to have Brian as a key member of the Blades/Swett & Crawford team.”
About J.H. Blades & Co., Inc.
Headquartered in Houston, J.H. Blades & Co., Inc. provides insurance products and services for energy-related risks. Operating as a coverholder and in-house underwriter, J.H. Blades underwrites, markets and places both onshore and offshore accounts of any size or complexity. Through its in-house underwriting and London/Domestic facilities, J.H. Blades offers these energy-related insurance products: General Liability, Excess Liability/Umbrella, Control of Well, Onshore and Offshore Property Physical Damage, Oil Pollution Act with in-house Certification, Maritime Employers Liability, Builders Risk, Loss of Production Income/Business Interruption, Charterers Legal Liability, Windstorm and other ancillary coverages.
About Swett & Crawford
Swett & Crawford, the nation’s oldest wholesale intermediary, has 98 years of experience in helping to mitigate the risks of doing business here and around the globe. Headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, the blended strength of Swett & Crawford and Cooper Gay, with a combined $3.5 billion in premiums, delivers the world’s largest global wholesale brokerage and reinsurance organization with more than 1400 insurance professionals in 60 offices on four continents.
Swett & Crawford serves independent agents and brokers through specialized Property, Casualty, Oil & Gas/Energy, Professional Services, Transportation, Reinsurance and Underwriting Practice Groups. These groups provide access to commercial insurance products and programs, including property and casualty coverages, products liability, reinsurance, professional liability, commercial and public auto liability as well as a host of customized binding authorities and exclusive programs tailored to specific industries, businesses and professionals.
Additional information may be found at www.swett.com